Blush -Illamasqua - Lover
alissss 7/9/2012 7:52:00 PM
I think the below reviews have already covered a lot. I just wanted to add, if you have a cool skin tone, this can still work. So I was quite hesitant in getting this orange-peach blush, but I did a nice swap for it thinking I can give it to my mom or sister (who are warm toned) if it looks terrible. When Lover, arrived I thought it was a hopeless case. It really is orange in the pan! OK it's peach/coral but it doesn't have pink in it. So I was VERY surprised that this works on my cool skin! I really do think I am cool and not neutral because makeup for warm skin usually looks terrible on me. Corals I can do but usually they have some pink in them. This I did not expect would look so good. It is pigmented so apply with a very light hand. I don't recommend buying untried but don't write this off if you're cool toned.
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Fragrances -Chanel - Chance Eau Fraiche
alissss 7/7/2012 7:25:00 PM
I don't know what I was doing ordering it unsniffed. I just really felt like trying something new. Fragrance is very personal and I think Chanel is pretty consistent with their fragrances for me. And I wanted something fresh and summery. This seemed to fit the bill and the reviews were overwhelmingly positive. I took a chance and ordered it from nordstrom. Unfortunately this is not for me at all. I wanted something fresh as in citrusy I suppose. It is not un-fresh I suppose but it's sweeter than what I wanted. On me this one had too much of a melony scent (which I am not a fan). It wasn't as obnoxious as the more fruity types of fragrances they make for younger women these days but I just really did not like it. I really wanted to like it and gave it a chance twice. The second day I actually had to soap and scrub it off. I sent it back. Bottom line is don't buy unsniffed. Perhaps this works better and less melon on others but on me it was really not what I have come to expect from Chanel.
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Polishes -Sinful - Dream On (Polish)
alissss 7/6/2012 8:44:00 PM
Color is awesome but Sinfuls never seem to dry on me even with Seche Vite. This is a neon fuschia that is super bright. It applies matte like other neons. You can wear it matte or with top coat. This is not an exact dupe but very close to Zoya Charisma (which also chipped on me) and with 5-6 drops of navy blue mixed in, it's a dead on dupe for Julep Helena. This (and the aforementioned) does not photograph well - usually looks pink/fuschia. It's much brighter and has more blue in it IRL. Worth a try if Sinful formula agrees with your chemistry. I kept my bottle but I reach for it rarely.
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Polishes -Sinful - Whats Your Name
alissss 7/6/2012 8:41:00 PM
This is a decent Sinful. Their formula usually disappoints me and removal can be a pain depending on the color. This one I like more than others because I really enjoy the color/shimmer. It is more subtle on the nail than in the bottle. On the nail it mainly looks black and only if you look closely will you see the pretty shimmer. This is a dead on dupe for Cult Nails Living Water, which has a better formula but looks identical to this after 2 coats. Also OPI Unripened is a dupe. Worth a try at this price if you like this color.
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Polishes -Sinful - Pearl Harbor
alissss 7/6/2012 8:37:00 PM
This is by far my favorite Sinful. Looks great layered over a darker color. Just lovely. Sinful formula is not the best for me - takes forever to dry and streaks - but since you only need a layer of this and it's not a streaky color, these issues don't apply. Grab this and give it a try if you see it. For $1.99 (usually less on sale) it's a great layering polish.
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Polishes -Sinful - You Just Wait
alissss 7/6/2012 8:35:00 PM
This is a pale sheer pink with green duochrome. I don't wear it on its own but you could if you like sheers. Layer this over black or another very dark color!
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Polishes -Sinful - Savage
alissss 7/6/2012 8:28:00 PM
Yes Sinful polishes are cheap and they do have cool colors - even dupes of expensive brands. I personally have not found the formula to work well for me. Savage however is extra problematic. It applied so-so and lasted a few days but it STAINS SO BAD! I used base coat as always and I am used to blues staining but this was something else! I had smurf fingers for days! Even after I tried every trick under the sun for lightening the stains, I had greenish nails for weeks. It's been 2 months now and I swear I can still see a yellowish green tint on my nails. I know polish is a very personal thing and it may not stain so badly on everyone but this was a nightmare for me!
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Justin Bieber Someday
alissss 7/4/2012 1:12:00 AM
Oh my... This gave me such a huge headache. I regretted even being curious about what a Justin Bieber scent might be like. I guess this is what's marketable to young people these days? I think it's way too old for the preteens and teens who like Bieber music. But no grown woman would want to smell like this either. Some celeb perfumes are at least OK. This one is just plain migraine-inducing. I could not wash it off my wrists fast enough!
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Malie Organics Koke'e
alissss 7/1/2012 6:32:00 PM
This review is for Koke'e roll on perfume. I ordered this unsniffed when I saw it on sale on an online reseller as I was placing another order. I had read about Malie and wanted to try their products. Kauai is one of my favorite places on earth and Koke'e is the star of this amazingly beautiful land. I was curious about the scent Koke'e. How did they interpret the rugged yet breathtaking beauty of the place? Malie's Koke'e is a woody fragrance that has just a hint of a floral and a breeze hidden underneath. It is the scent of a green land with abundant rain punctured by sun. The forest dominates here but you can also get a whiff of the ocean and Hawaii flowers. It is not a sharp green scent - in fact it is slightly sweet. I presume this is for women but it can be worn by a man also. It lasts quite a long time on me but stays close to the skin. The roll-on is easy to carry around in my purse. I apply it to my wrists and it calms me down and makes me smile. The only downside is, it makes me want to be in Kauai!
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Fragrances -Chanel - No 5 Eau Premiere
alissss 6/30/2012 11:05:00 PM
This was given to me as a present because I love the original No. 5 and I was of course worried I would not like it. Like many other reviewers stated, this is really well-done. A light enough for daily wear, modern counterpart to its older sister, Eau Premiere has the heart of the original No. 5 but is new and fresh all the same. Love it!
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Fragrances -The Body Shop - Vanilla EDT
alissss 6/30/2012 10:58:00 PM
I would normally give this 4 stars but for the price, why not 5? I like about 20% of vanilla-heavy scents, the rest are too cloying. This is one vanilla I keep going back to. It is not that it isn't sweet and it certainly isn't complicated - so it's hard to explain why I keep it in my collection (this is my second bottle). It's simple and balanced. On me, it stays fairly close to the skin but not extremely so and it lasts fine but is not heavy. Works great in winter. I use it in tiny doses for layering sometimes in the summer.
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Moisturizers -Ole Henriksen - Nurture Me - Soothing Creme
alissss 6/25/2012 7:48:00 PM
I bought this because it sounded like it would be good for my dry, sensitive-ish skin. I normally use Alba botanica sea plus (now called even advance) as a night cream (and day too actually). I thought I'd step up to an expensive brand and see how much better they are. This one was a total fail. First of all, despite the name and description, there is nothing soothing about this for me! The smell is so harsh, it completely irritated my skin. Not just slightly but actually burning type irritation. I don't know for sure it's the fragrance but since it has such a strong smell, that may be the culprit. It absorbs quickly, which you might think is good but within minutes, it's like I never applied moisturizer, plus my skin feels irritated and burns as if I put alcohol on it. I am not even the most sensitive skin person, really. It baffles me that this is marketed for sensitive skin when it was so irritating for me. I sent it back and am back to my tried and true Alba.
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Skincare - Face -Jan Marini - Antioxidant daily face protectant SPF 30
alissss 6/25/2012 7:43:00 PM
This has become my daily SPF + antioxidant. I can't say anything negative about it. I have sensitive skin that gets easily irritated by fragrance or harsh products - this one has a mild smell and the SPF does not bother me. It's very light, you do not feel sticky or like a film is on your face like some other SPF creams can. i have the pump bottle - it looks different than the pic here. Sleek, simple packaging. Yes it's expensive but I need daily SPF and something that doesn't make me breakout or itch and this does the job. I bought mine in Feb and now it's almost July and it's almost finished (daily use). I will be repurchasing.
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Misc Beauty Tools -beautyblender - the sponge
alissss 6/20/2012 10:56:00 PM
WOWWW! It's really all I can say. Yes it's hyped up and expensive but it really works! I was completely surprised at what this little thing can do. I used it with Revlon age defying, Revlon color stay and Lancome teint idole so far. It really gives that luminous, airbrushed look. I did a double take every time I saw myself in the mirror. When my husband saw me the first time I used this, he said wow, your make up looks glowing. He never comments on my makeup and I wasn't wearing anything new/different.
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Blush -Estee Lauder - Signature Silky Powder Radiant Peach
alissss 6/20/2012 10:52:00 PM
I bought this on a whim at the cosmetic company store where they sell discounted EL, clinique, origins etc. It reminded me of Nars Orgasm, but with lighter shimmer and maybe a little less pink. i thought perhaps it wouldn't work on me since I am NW15 but the peach is not too warm and it works. Worth a try if you can find it.
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